


Realizations

by megsann13



Category: Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon, Nancy Drew (Video Games), Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries - Franklin W. Dixon & Carolyn Keene
Genre: Coffee Shops, F/M, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Jancy, Love Confessions, Mention of Francy, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23621146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsann13/pseuds/megsann13
Summary: All Joe knew was that after his conversation with Frank last night he couldn’t think of anything else other than seeing Nancy.
Relationships: Nancy Drew & Frank Hardy, Nancy Drew/Frank Hardy-mentioned, Nancy Drew/Joe Hardy
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	Realizations

Nancy pulled into the driveway of the Drew residence. She had just dropped Bess and George off after an afternoon of lunch and shopping. It had been Bess's idea to shop and of course George had complained the whole time. But even with Bess's endless chatter and the muttering from George, the afternoon had been nice. Nancy had just gotten back from back to back cases so it had been good to relax for a bit.

She made her way inside, dropped her messenger bag on the couch and then continued into the kitchen going through the mail she had taken from the mailbox as she walked. _Bill, advertisement, bill, letter addressed to Carson Drew, another advertisement_. She tossed the mail onto the counter and started to make herself a snack. As she was pouring milk for the cookies she had grabbed, her text message alert went off. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and looked at the screen.

_1 new text message_

She opened her phone to see that the message was from Joe Hardy.

_Hey Nance! I heard you were done with your cases! How were they?_

Smiling to herself she took her milk and cookies with her over to the couch. Placing her snack in front of her on the coffee table she sat down, pulled her legs up under her and began to text Joe back.

_Hi Joe! Ya! They were kind of exhausting tbh so I’m glad to be home. What are you up to?!_

Nancy bit her bottom lip as she contemplated asking the question she really wanted to ask. _How was frank._ She hadn’t talked to him since they had ended things. 

It wasn’t like their break up had been terrible. About three months in they realized that the two of them were better suited for friendship. They were too much alike. But she had the feeling that Frank took the realization harder than she had. Everyone knew that Frank had always pined for Nancy long before they ever tried a relationship; even Nancy knew that. She just hoped that at some point soon they could go back to being good friends. For now, she had decided to give him some space. Between her recent case load and the fact that she didn't exactly live in the same town as Frank it had been relatively easy. She _had_ been wondering if she should reach out to him in some way though.

She looked back at the screen of her phone and saw that Joe had responded.

_Well, I'm actually in River Heights! And I thought it could be fun to meet up for some coffee?_

What was Joe doing in River Heights? It wasn’t like he had a habit of randomly showing up. Nancy wondered if Frank was with him. _But no. He had said “I'm” in River Heights, not we. So he must be alone_.

_You are??? What a nice surprise! Is Frank with you? What brings you here?_

Maybe he was working on a case and needed some help? _He would have said that in his text though_. Joe got way too excited for cases to leave that detail out. 

_No he isn’t. It’s just me. You want to meet me at the coffee shop? I’m there right now!_

At this point curiosity was taking over and Nancy wanted to find out what was going on. Plus Joe was always fun to hang out with.

_Ya! I’m headed there right now. See you soon!_

Nancy quickly put her glass of milk in the fridge and the cookies in a bag to save for later. Then grabbed her keys and headed to her car.

***

Joe sat at a little table by the window of the small coffee shop looking down at his mug. His coffee had grown cold. He had lost track of how long he’d been there. Maybe an hour? All he knew was that after his conversation with Frank last night he couldn’t think of anything else other than seeing Nancy. He didn’t even know how this would go or what he would say. He was a jittery ball of nerves. Flashes of his conversation with frank coming up in his mind every few minutes or so. 

_"Joe you like Nancy don't you._

_"Yeah of course I do! She's great. What kind of question is that anyway?"_

_"No, I mean you like like her"_

_Joe stared blankly at Frank. "What do you mean?"_

_"Joe," Frank scoffed, "I've seen the way you look at her when you think I'm not looking. Like she can do no wrong and like she is the most perfect girl in the world. But also, you never really shut up about her."_

_Joe sat there in stunned silence. He thought about all the times they had spent together with Nancy. They were just fun times! With a good friend! What was frank talking about._

_He rolled his eyes "Whatever that's just- I'm not-_

_But suddenly he was thinking back to all those times he felt subtle twinges of jealousy every time Frank and Nancy seemed to have a connection and he felt like a third wheel. It had been even worse when Frank and Nancy were actually dating. Or how he felt excited every time they joined forces with Nancy and he got to see her again. He had always passed these feelings off as nothing and would tell himself he was only excited because Nancy was a great friend or he was only jealous because he didn’t like feeling left out. With a jolt he realized Frank was right. He had been harboring some feelings for Nancy. How could he have been so clueless?_

_"I- I guess you're right. I- I haven't really given it much thought but now that you say it I- w-what do I do?"_

_He looked up at Frank with wide eyes. He suddenly felt nervous. When was he ever nervous? About a girl?_

_Frank sat for a moment, his expression thoughtful._

_"I think you should tell her. You'll always wonder if you don't. At least find out if she could feel the same."_

_Joe sat anxiously on the edge of his bed, while Frank sat across the room staring back at Joe letting his words sink in._

_"At least one of us should have a chance with her.”_

_There was a hint of a small smile on Frank's face but Joe knew he was still hurting and could hear the ache in his voice. After all, it had only been a month since Frank and Nancy had ended things. Joe realized how hard this must be for him._

_"Are you sure you're alright with that? It hasn't been that long since-"_

_Frank gave him a small smile._

_"Ya Joe, I'm fine with it"_

Joe was startled back to reality by the scraping of chairs as the neighboring table prepared to leave. He was suddenly aware again of the butterflies that had been ever present in his stomach since his conversation with Frank. They had made it impossible for him to even eat, which he found annoying. If there was one thing in this world Joe loved, it was eating. He looked around at the locals chattering and sipping at their own coffee mugs. They all seemed so at ease and relaxed. What he would give to be in anyone else's shoes right now.

"It isn't like me to be so nervous about a girl" Joe muttered to himself.

The thing was, Nancy wasn't just some girl to Joe. She never had been, not really. From the moment they first met as teens he knew there was something different about her. Now in their mid twenties she had grown to be something really special to him. She was Nance. One of his best friends. The girl who could solve any code, cipher, riddle or puzzle thrown at her. The girl who fought for what was important to her. The greatest amateur detective and person he'd ever met. _And one of his best friends._

Joe didn't know if he could do it. If he told her how he felt and she didn't reciprocate, or worse just thought of him as a brother, his heart would shatter, he was sure of it. _Snap out of it. It’s going to be alright._ Just then he noticed a blue roadster pull into the coffee shops parking lot from the corner of his eye. He watched as a strawberry blonde got out of the car and started to walk towards the door. _Well, here goes nothing I guess._

***

Nancy walked through the doors of the coffee shop and caught sight of Joe sitting near a back window. He gave her a little wave and she started walking in his direction. As she got closer she noticed that he didn’t seem quite himself. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but something was off.

“Hey Joe!”

“Hi” he responded with a smile. _That great Joe Hardy smile._

Nancy ordered a coffee and the two friends spent a few minutes catching up. They hadn’t seen each other since around the time she and Frank had ended things. Joe asked her about her cases and Nancy filled him in. Throughout the conversation she couldn’t help but noticed that Joe seemed a little jittery; not his normal relaxed self. He kept avoiding direct eye contact with her and she noted that he hadn’t ordered any food. Which was unusual for Joe. He ordered food every time he was in a place that served it. His coffee was barely touched as well. Maybe she would pry here in a minute, but first she had to ask the question that was most tugging at her brain.

“How is Frank doing?” _She had to ask. It would bother her if she didn’t._

“He’s doing okay. I think he’s still a little sad, but it’s Frank. He’ll bounce back eventually right?” Joe gave Nancy a reassuring smile. 

“Ya I suppose you’re right”, Nancy sighed. “Anyway, are you okay Joe? You seem nervous and you haven’t ordered any food, which is very unusual for you.”

Joe gave a little laugh,“Nothing get’s past you Nance." His eyes darted around the coffee shop at all the people there and then looked back at her.

“Hey can we get out of here? Maybe we can walk to that park over there?” He gestured across the street. 

“Uh ya, sure. Why not” Nancy shrugged with a small frown on her face. Something was definitely going on. He hadn’t even made any of those Joe Hardy jokes she had grown to love.

They made their way out the door and across the street. Joe led them to a bench near a small pond and they sat down. 

“Alright”, Joe started. “I didn’t just show up today for no reason. I- well I wanted to tell you something.”

His face was serious and determined and Nancy couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked. He was suddenly making eye contact with her and her stomach did a flip. All at once Nancy thought she knew what was coming, but not only that, she also realized that it was what she wanted. Feelings she didn’t realize she had began to surface all at once. People had pushed her and Frank together for years and she had given in to that, thinking it was the right thing. But was the person for her in front of her all along? Had it been a Hardy brother after all? Just not the one everyone thought it would be?

She became very aware of how close they were sitting. Their knees almost touching and their hands resting on the bench between them, mere inches apart.

“Nancy, I- I really like you... more than a friend”, he quickly corrected. He bit his lip as he anticipated what Nancy was going to say.

They sat for a moment. Nancy noticed that they had slowly moved closer in the last few minutes. Getting caught up in the moment and without thinking any more about it she closed the gap and kissed Joe. She pulled back and gave an awkward little laugh. Joe sat there, stunned, before he came back to reality and smiled one of his big Joe Hardy smiles. 

“I guess that means you like me too?” 

“Oh Joe”, Nancy said with a laugh and they both moved in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> There are probably a million different ways I can imagine Joe and Nancy realizing they have feelings for each other. This is just one of those ways. 
> 
> I wanted to contribute to the lack of Jancy fics out there.
> 
> It's really only the second fic I've ever written in my life so please accept my humble offerings.


End file.
